I've never lived anywhere that was so festive for Christmas - except, maybe, when I effectively "lived" in the mall for those few years I worked retail in college. but that wasn't festive in the same way. That was materialistic festivity rooted in the desire of businesses to capitalize on marketing schemes and get out of the red. Here, the joy comes from a sense of community and somewhat genuine holiday spirit accented by a lot of drinking of holiday spirits.
So, here are a few of the Yuletide festivities that I've taken part in over the years.
Santa Train
Probably one of the more unique celebrations that Skagway puts on. As you may or may not know, Skagway is a tourist town. The main tourist attraction is the White Pass train ride which goes for a few hours up into BC and the Yukon. The train used to run year-round and carry freight and passengers before the road came in; now it only runs tourists in the summertime.
Except for one day in winter when the train runs up the hill through the snow in early December. They clear the tracks ahead of time up to a certain point and then it's on... Santa is on the train and there are both children's and adult cars. The children's cars are where Santa mingles with the kids and does all that cutesy Christmas stuff (actually, I have no idea, because I've never been on the kids' cars). The adult cars are where the rest of us wait for Santa to join us for drinks. (Someone looking suspiciously like Santa is often known to be seen at the local watering hole afterward, spreading more holiday cheer.)
The first year I went, Stimee and I brought the makings for purple motherfuckers, a mixed drink I used to have all the time in Albany. We shared them with everyone and had a lot of other drinks from other people. Last year when I went I one-upped my purple motherfuckers. I had hot fireball cider, made to order. I brought the Jet Boil camp stove, cider packets, water, Fireball, spices and cups in a picnic basket and made people hot cider to keep them warm on the trip up the hill and back. Both times were pretty awesome.
Yuletide Ball
I only went once, last year. It wasn't the most thrilling thing ever. The theme last year was some kind of tropical thing, so Stimee and I got all festive. We wore red union suits underneath beachwear. It was pretty fun. There was a band and food but I think we were just there too early.
Tree Lighting
The Christmas tree that gets lit for the tree lighting is on an empty lot on 5th. It's not a spruce tree that gets cut down for this purpose; it's a tree that just grows there. I've gone to the tree lighting at least twice that I can think of. Everyone stands around in the street while a group sings Christmas songs in preparation for the tree being lit. The pivotal moment comes when the fire truck, decked out in holiday lights, comes up and off jumps Santa. He says hi to all the kids and then gives the OK to light the lights on the Christmas tree.
After the tree is lit, there's a holiday concert that happens at the Park Service auditorium on 2nd. Last year, it was my full intention to go to said concert with my girlfriend. We wandered over there but when we arrived found that the Park Service auditorium was a lot more crowded than we felt like dealing with. So, next best thing... we went to the liquor store across the street, got a couple big cans of Foster's (why Foster's? I'm not entirely sure. But it's the only time I've ever drank Foster's, to my knowledge) and sat out behind the Park Service building by the train tracks in the freezing cold, drinking, smoking cigarettes, and being very very merry.
Eagles Christmas pageant
This tradition was started by the Arctic Brotherhood around the turn of the century. It's carried on to this day by the Eagles, a fraternal order that, unlike the AB, survived.
Because the kids don't get enough Santa, the Eagles makes sure they get to see him on Christmas Eve. All the kids in town get to go up on stage, meet Santa, and get a present from him. It's pretty cute. I only went once, back when I spent a lot of time with a family who had the best 5-year-old ever. It was fun to watch.
Christmas Eve
My favorite holiday celebration in Skagway happens on Christmas Eve. This year I missed it on account of work, but my liver is probably better off for it.
On Christmas Eve, all the businesses in town open their doors to holiday revelry by providing free food and booze and camaraderie. The town crawl may start at either end of Broadway, but the venues are varied. The book store, the Mountain Shop, the hardware store, and the grocery store are the ones that stand out the most in my mind. Beers, egg nog, margaritas... cheese plates, veggies and dip, finger foods... and drunks. Everyone stumbles from one business to the next, getting progressively drunker and drunker as they go. Inevitably most of us will end up at one bar or another at the end of the night, insuring that Christmas morning includes one hell of a hangover.
This year I didn't do any of them. But when I get off work in an hour, midnight will mark the start of Christmas. In other parts of the country people spend Christmas with their dysfunctional families. Since I am 4,000 miles away from mine, I will get to ring in Christmas at midnight with my much more dysfunctional Skagway family at the Pizza Station.
Around the holidays it becomes increasingly more evident how many ways my Skagway family is not entirely unlike a real family. I guess there'a little more choice involved in who you associate with here when it comes to the in-quotation-marks "family," but when it all comes down to it we're all pretty much stuck with each other regardless, just like a real family. And there really aren't very many people I'd prefer to be stuck with at the holidays.
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